Ditching Perfection

For those of us who are Jesus followers, we often hear the call to share the Gospel and to live on mission, but we may ask ourselves, “How do we do that?”

In this 2 part conversation that we’re starting today, my good friend, Pastor Danny Atkins is here to remind us that “we’re not trying to take something from God to people. Instead we’re trying to put flesh on what God is already doing.”

So, friends. You can throw your check-lists and attempts at strategic plans out the window. God isn’t asking for our plans. God is inviting us to participate. I think that is pretty exciting and freeing… and I can’t wait to hear all of the insights and encouragement that Danny has to share with us.

——

Danny Atkins currently serves as an executive pastor at Nampa College Church and as a part-time professor at Northwest Nazarene University. He is currently working on a PhD at Nazarene Theological College, studying Paul’s theology of mission.

Prior to his current ministry context in Nampa, he served for five years in Germany as a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene. That experience helped shape his calling to help the church be a missionary in its own context.

Danny loves to spend time with his wife and daughter, and together they love to be outdoors and travel to new places.

If you’d like to talk with Danny about living on mission, feel free to reach out to him at [email protected]

——

I’d love to connect with you throughout the week on instagram @carlycommunicates. If you’d like to learn more about my speaking ministry and access my Bible study resources, visit carlycommunicates.com

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be wild, chaotic, and full. Even if our schedules are full of good things, this season can still be exhausting. So, this conversation today with my friend, Bri Johns, is timely. As we look at Mary’s life in Scripture, Bri reminds us of God’s beautiful invitation to JUST BE.

Bri also helps us think about how to:

✨intentionally & consistently connect with our neighbors,

✨check our motivations as a means of ditching perfection, &

✨measure our bandwidth and know it is okay to say “this is too much.”

If you’re feeling exhausted or weary for any and every reason… this episode is for you!

____

Thanks to Bri Johns for being my guest today. If you’d like to chat with Bri further about anything she mentioned in the episode, you can reach out to her on instagram at _brijohns.

———

I’d love to connect with you throughout the week on instagram @carlycommunicates. If you’d like to learn more about my speaking ministry or access my Bible study resources, visit carlycommunicates.com

Are you in a season of waiting? Are you wondering how to move forward out of a painful situation? Are you doubting if God can ever bring good out of sadness or hurt?

God doesn't cause the pain or hurt we experience, but Pastor Shane Lima reminds us that “God’s grace can weave together pain into triumph, and trauma into testimony.” As we unpack Matthew 1 together, and look at the women in the genealogy of Jesus, we can see great hope come out of devastation.

This Advent season, as we sit in waiting, may hope be the fuel that carries us forward. The light will break forth. God is with us.

——

I’d love to connect with you throughout the week on instagram @carlycommunicates. If you'd like to learn more about my speaking ministry or access my Bible study resources, visit carlycommunicates.com

-

We are in our final week of our fall series called “In This Together.” We’ve talked about how to cultivate healthy relationships with others, but it is also so important to talk about how to care well for yourself.

I am thrilled that psychologist and theologian, Dr. Karen Hurula, is here to lead us through this valuable discussion. Dr. Hurula is the Director of the Center for Counseling at Wheaton College, and in this episode, she shares with us:

✨ how she is helping the church have more holistic conversations about mental health,

✨ why not neglecting our basic physical needs is of utmost importance, &

✨ the three questions we need to ask in order to foster healthy inner dialogue.

You can learn more about Dr. Hurula and her ministry at https://drkarenhurula.com/.

——

I’d love to connect with you throughout the week on instagram @carlycommunicates. If you'd like to learn more about my speaking ministry or access my Bible study resources, visit carlycommunicates.com

Today is our (Mike & Carly’s) 14th wedding anniversary. So, we hopped into the podcast studio to chat all about our relationship and some fun memories. In this episode, we talk about:

❤️ how we knew (and how soon we knew) we wanted to get married,

❤️ how asking questions & staying curious has been an integral part of our marriage, and

❤️ how we’ve learned more about God from one another.

We also talk about how we’ve learned to appreciate each other’s hobbies… and Mike quizzes me on NBA players and their respective teams… 🏀👀

Grab an iced gingerbread chai and join us for this fun anniversary episode conversation! We’re thrilled to celebrate with you! 🎉

——

I’d love to connect with you throughout the week on Instagram @carlycommunicates. If you’d like to learn more about my speaking ministry or access my Bible study resources, visit carlycommunicates.com.

I send out a FREE weekly devotional on Fridays, so make sure to sign up for that on my website as well! 📖

You’re in for a treat today, my friends! Brothers and collegiate basketball teammates, Gabe and Aaron Murphy are here to share with us about their relationship. They are truly “in this together,” as they do life together both on and off the court.

In today’s episode, Gabe and Aaron share with us about:

🏀 the value of risk & vulnerability,

🏀 how healthy competition between the two of them fuels their growth, and

🏀 how the people who love you the most see the potential in you and call you to be better.

You are going to love this conversation with these hilarious and insightful brothers!

——

✨I’d love to connect with you throughout the week on instagram @carlycommunicates. If you’d like to learn more about my speaking ministry or access my Bible study resources, visit carlycomunicates.com

College and young adult years are some of the most formational times of life . . . so the friendships we make during that time are formational too!

Today, Keziah, Kendrey, and Shelby are here to talk about finding quality friends in college, how social media both helps & hinders friendships, the importance of praying for friendship, and they teach me about beige flags… Have you heard about this before? I am such a millennial apparently. HA!

If you find this episode encouraging, please share it with a friend or family member. If there is any way I can cheer you on in your ditching perfection journey, reach out to me on instagram @carlycommunicates.